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Palmiers are flaky French cookies that look difficult to make but are actually incredibly easy with the use of store-bought puff pastry. Known as “elephant ears” to some, these palm-leaf shaped delights bake up to puffy, sugary, caramelized perfection with just three ingredients! When you’re only using a few ingredients, you want to make sure to use the very best.
For the cardamom, we recommend The Spice House for their unmatched quality and selection. If you’ve been following us for a while, you know that we absolutely love using cardamom in our recipes. It’s difficult to describe the taste if you’ve never had it but think sweet and floral without being overpowering.
For the puff pastry, we recommend Dufour Pastry Kitchens Classic Puff Pastry (also seen in our Mushroom & Gruyere Tart). We’ve tried other brands, and the palmiers didn’t look or taste nearly as good. You definitely want to get an all-butter puff pastry to make sure these really puff up!
Cardamom Palmiers
Cardamom Palmiers look difficult but easily bake up to puffy, sugary, caramelized perfection with just three ingredients!
ingredients
3/4 c granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cardamom (we recommend The Spice House)
thawed puff pastry (we recommend Dufour or another all-butter brand)
method
Step 1
In a bowl, mix granulated sugar with ground cardamom.
Step 2
On a baking mat, spread out about 1/4 c of the sugar mixture then lay thawed puff pastry on top. Sprinkle about 1/4 c of the sugar mixture on top and gently roll with a rolling pin. Roll out the creases in the puff pastry and press the sugar into the dough.
Step 3
Next, fold the puff pastry. Start with the long side and fold in about halfway to the middle. Then fold the other long side in about halfway to the middle. Fold both sides in again, so the sides meet in the middle. Brush a bit of water on the top of the puff pastry and fold the long sides on top of each other. Gently press together and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the puff pastry in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill.
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 425º and line two or three baking sheets with parchment paper. After the puff pastry has chilled, slice into 1/2 inch pieces using a sharp knife. Sprinkle the cut sides with the extra sugar mixture. Place the palmiers on baking sheets about 3 inches apart. Bake on the middle rack for 8 mins. Remove from the oven and flip. You can gently push back together if the palmiers are separating. Once all have been flipped, place back in the oven for 8-10 mins until the edges of the palmiers are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet. Bake in batches as needed.
Note
We used one box of Dufour Classic Puff Pastry (14 oz), which includes one large sheet of puff pastry and made 20 palmier cookies. If using another brand with smaller two sheets, you’ll get about 24 cookies, and you will need to use half of the sugar mixture for each sheet, repeating steps 2 and 3 with each one.
serving tips
Palmiers can be stored in a covered container at room temperature for up to one week, so these are great to make ahead! We love to give these out at the end of a party as a parting gift.
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Cardamom Palmiers
Ingredients
- 3/4 c granulated sugar
- 2 tsp ground cardamom we recommend The Spice House
- thawed puff pastry we recommend Dufour or another all-butter brand
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix granulated sugar with ground cardamom.
- On a baking mat, spread out about 1/4 c of the sugar mixture then lay thawed puff pastry on top. Sprinkle about 1/4 c of the sugar mixture on top and gently roll with a rolling pin. Roll out the creases in the puff pastry and press the sugar into the dough.
- Next, fold the puff pastry. Start with the long side and fold in about halfway to the middle. Then fold the other long side in about halfway to the middle. Fold both sides in again, so the sides meet in the middle. Brush a bit of water on the top of the puff pastry and fold the long sides on top of each other. Gently press together and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the puff pastry in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill.
- Preheat the oven to 425º and line two or three baking sheets with parchment paper. After the puff pastry has chilled, slice into 1/2 inch pieces using a sharp knife. Sprinkle the cut sides with the extra sugar mixture. Place the palmiers on baking sheets about 3 inches apart. Bake on the middle rack for 8 mins. Remove from the oven and flip. You can gently push back together if the palmiers are separating. Once all have been flipped, place back in the oven for 8-10 mins until the edges of the palmiers are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet. Bake in batches as needed.
